More event organisers are choosing specific themes for their gatherings in an attempt to boost engagement with attendees, one event agency has revealed.

Evolve Events has identified a growing trend in clients seeking the use of props and character actors for their conferences, meetings and dinners in order to get people talking about what’s happening around them.

According to Anna Peters, marketing director at the London-based agency, more and more people are asking how they can make the activity at their event venues “more impactful, punchy and memorable”.

In an attempt to deliver on their demands, her company has started to pitch the idea of themed events and this seems to have caught on.

“We are seeing a shift towards a more stylised and interactive approach to get key messages across,” she told meetpie.com.

One of Evolve’s most recent accomplishments was a 1940s-styled event for the UK broker Awards, which celebrated the benefits of pulling together in times of adversity.

She claimed that bringing people together in this way creates a “feel-good factor” that other events cannot match. At the same time the attendees also gain a sense of achievement, because they’re often given the chance to learn a new skill or complete a challenging activity before the event.

Cited by internationalmeetingsreview.com, Ms Peters did however say that although some gatherings really lend themselves to certain themes, companies should always consider whether the use of characters or otherwise will set the right tone.

“Think about the meeting topic and consider selecting only key parts, such as a gala dinner,” she added.